After a career 2022 season where he went 57-13 and added five new championship trophies to his collection, young star Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest ever world number one player in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) at just 19 years old.

   “’I’m just fighting with the best players in the world in the best tournaments,” Alcaraz said according to the U.S. Open.   

   Most significant to his 2022 season, Alcaraz bagged his first-ever grand slam title, in a matchup against Casper Rudd in the U.S. Open Final.

   Alcaraz topped soon-to-be world number two, Casper Rudd to secure his U.S. Open. In the best-of-five-sets match, Alcaraz took the first set with a score of 6-4, before he conceded the second set 2-6. Alcaraz held strong however and took both of the next two sets with a score of 7-6 and 6-3 respectively.

   According to the U.S. Open, “[It’s] something that I dreamed of ever since I was a kid — to be No. 1 in the world, to be the champion of a Grand Slam,” Alcaraz said.

   Alcaraz became the youngest winner of a Grand Slam since fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal won his French Open in 2005. He also became the youngest to win a U.S. Open since Pete Sampras.

   “I’m trying not to think that I’m the new Nadal. I’m just trying to be Carlos Alcaraz. If I [put] pressure on myself trying to be Rafa Nadal and win 21 Grand Slams, it’s really tough, and in the end, it’s dangerous to myself,” Alcaraz said according to The New York Times.

   Alcaraz also became the first player born in this millennium to win a grand slam title. This feat brought him amongst the likes of tennis greats Boris Becker, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras, and Stefan Edbard, as teenagers to win a grand slam. 

   “[I’m] the same kid as always. Humble, and I will always be the same,” Alcaraz said according to the U.S. Open. 

   Along with the U.S. Open win, Alcaraz also made it to the finals of every other Major tournament, the French Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open. Besides Major tournament appearances, he also won five other tournaments and made it to at least the semi-finals of 9 other tournaments.

  “I’m just fighting with the best players in the world in the best tournaments,” Alcaraz said according to the U.S. Open.

   Alcaraz had a sudden end to the 2022 season in November when he was forced to withdraw from the Paris Masters due to a core injury. His last opponent Holger Rune would then go on to win that tournament.

   “I preferred to withdraw and think about myself. I couldn’t serve well and my body was bothering me in the abdominal area when I was making movements,” Alcaraz said according to Microsoft News.